Summer Night Rendez-vous
by Eternal White Rose
Summary: Summer nights are for them.


_Summer Night Rendez-vous_

* * *

Amaterasu picks her head up when she hears the crunching of leaves nearby, on alert and careful so that Issun doesn't rouse as he sleeps next to her. Since she traded some Demon Fangs for a Peace Bell, Demon Scrolls have kept away from the pair as they cross the land of Nippon, but she still can't be too careful about a stray demon or two coming in for an ambush. Anything is possible given the state of the world.

But instead of a demon, she relaxes when the familiar face of a prophet appears from the shadows of the night.

 _Dearest Ushiwaka,_ she greets, and when he crouches down to brush his hand along her fur, she shivers in delight and gently nuzzles him with her head. _As always, a pleasure to see you._

"A pleasure for myself as well, my dear," Waka whispers, eyeing the sleeping artist wearily. "You have your protector ever by your side, I see."

 _I must apologize for his words before,_ she sighs, and Waka drops down to sit next to her, hand returning to her fur when Amaterasu rests her snout on his lap. _He is very untrustworthy towards you._

"Nothing to fret about, dearest." He chuckles.

They sit like that for some time, Waka softly running his hand down the wolf's back as she breathes deeply against him. Amaterasu fights her fatigue, wanting to stay awake in order to make sure that Issun does not rouse and begin yelling at Waka. She can feel the wandering artist against her stomach, just barely can hear his soft snores. This is the longest he has slept since their journey together began, underneath the Konohana blossoms, and Amaterasu wants him to get as much rest as he can manage. With Orochi defeated for good, their next stop is past the City Checkpoint, towards Sei-An City and the coast of Ryoshima. It is a distance, unless they can find a merchant selling Mermaid Coins for fast travel.

 _Ushiwaka._

The man in question hums.

 _When I find the Ark of Yamato, will you return to the Plain with me?_

"Is that your final destination? Your quest will end with that?"

 _I was awoken to cleanse Nippon of evil._ Amaterasu whines, rolling her shoulders. _However, I would like to find the Ark and try to figure out what happened. How those demons took complete control and killed so many of my children._ Amaterasu looks up at the moon. It seems to twinkle with the stars, and when she returns her head to Waka's lap, she licks the hand that lays limp near her snout. _You have no longer your old home to return to._

Waka raises an eyebrow. "I did not think that I would be allowed to return to the Plain."

 _The Plains are your home._

" _You_ are my home."

Amaterasu picks her head up in surprise, quickly enough that Issun whines and she can immediately tell that he is going to wake up. When she looks back at Waka to tell him to leave, he is already long gone, the sound of his flute floating down with Kazegami's Divine Wind.

Issun grumbles against her, and she flicks her tail to draw a sun in the sky. Now that he is awake, there is no point in her keeping the moon up. "Wazzat half-baked prophet here? I thought I smelled 'im."

 _No, Issun,_ she chuckles, bringing her nose down so he can climb on top of her head. _Must have just been your imagination._

"I had an amazin' dream, Ammy," he drawls as she stands up and shakes the grass off her fur. "That prophet was bald."

 _Was he?_ Amaterasu pegs.

"Yeah. Under all them feathers was nothin' but a shiny noggin!"

* * *

The next time Waka visits her it is just after Amaterasu has cleansed Sei-An City from Blight's curse, giving the people back their lives. The moon hangs above her head as she sits on Gojo bridge separating the commoners' quarters and the aristocracy, looking into the waters below. Issun has stayed with Rao for the night, claiming to want to learn more about the ways of a priestess, but the goddess knows that he is just getting closer to Rao because of the lust he feels for, well, all women.

He appears rather suddenly, just as he had before. With the soft clack of his tall geta, Waka is by Amaterasu's side and leaning against the Gojo bridge's railing. _Good evening, Ushiwaka._

"When will you just call me Waka?"

 _When the ice over Kamui melts,_ Amaterasu jokes, and Waka reaches down to mess up her coat. _I prefer your full name to your shorter one._

Waka shrugs. "How has your search for the Ark been coming along?"

 _Slow. This incident with the emperor has halted our progress._ The wolf huffs, and Waka hides a chuckle behind his hand in attempt to be courteous. _Issun and I hope to find some clues when we reach the northern coastline._

"Be wary of that water dragon. He is a foul one."

 _I heard that he used to be a peaceful deity that protected the waters._

"He was," Waka says with a nod. "The dragon is the most powerful form of the Dragon King. I can only imagine what Queen Otohime must feel with her husband throwing such a tantrum like this."

Amaterasu watches Waka's lips move as they form the words of his explanations, just barely paying attention to the actual tenor of his voice and what the sounds that come out even mean. She is completely enamored by it. "Do be careful, my sweet," he whispers, turning to her and meeting her eyes. "The dragon is incredibly dangerous."

 _I will, Ushiwaka._ Amaterasu rubs her head against the back of his hand, and the smile that pulls his lips shows a little bit of his pearly teeth.

"The northern coast is purified of its curse, my dear. But do not tell the artist, will you?" He puts a finger to his lips.

 _How did you manage that? You need Bloom to clear the curse. Did you meet with the Hanagami? With Sakigami, specifically?_

"Sweetheart," Waka says with a short laugh. "I have known you for so long. Did you not think that I would pick up on your techniques over time?"

 _You do not even have a Celestial Brush._ Her eyes widen and she growls. _Unless you have been hiding one from me._

Waka smiles and bends down to plant a soft kiss on the top of her head, just in-between her eyes. "You know better than anyone in this world that I keep no secrets from you."

Had Amaterasu had her humanoid form, Waka would have seen the bright smile that blossomed on her face.

* * *

Even after going into the past and defeating Orochi a second time, Amaterasu is surprised when Waka visits her in the cold mountains of Kamui, inside a small hut she created for herself in Wep'keer. The people in this village have been welcoming to her, but she still desires some sort of distance between them and herself. She can feel that she is getting closer to the Ark of Yamato, and it makes her insanely nervous.

When Waka steps into her makeshift hut, she is not sure where Issun went off to. _Issun is not here,_ she says, and Waka can hear the grin in her voice. _Such a shame he always misses your visits._

"Our little bouncing friend would not appreciate my visiting anyway," Waka replies, removing his sword to sit on the ground better. Amaterasu, ever benevolent, scooches over to allow him to rest of the wool mat she purchased weeks ago from the demon fang trader in Agata Forest. He spreads himself out next to her, yawning. A curl of blond hair peeks out from his headdress and Amaterasu leans in close to lick it. Waka opens an eye and brings her snout closer to plant a loud kiss to it. "Can you feel the Ark?"

 _I can,_ Amaterasu tells him. _It is so close._

"Soon we will be able to go home."

The wolf hums in response, resting her snout on Waka's chest, reveling in how it moves up and down with every breath he takes. It is something she takes for granted when it comes to non-celestial beings-as a Goddess, she has no need to breathe, but does it just to appease the humans that interact with her so they do not get too suspicious about her true identity. Although Waka does not have to breathe as much as a normal human from Nippon, she still loves it when he does. His heart beats in his chest, his lungs take in air, and he is _alive._ A somewhat bizarre concept for Gods that are neither alive nor dead.

And of course, Issun has to bounce his way into her hut and ruin absolutely everything.

"What is this guy doin' in here?!" he yells, startling the pair. Waka sits up so quickly that it hurts Amaterasu's neck and he reaches down to massage it in order to take away the pain. "You and your prophecies ain't invited!"

 _Issun,_ Amaterasu says sternly, but the wandering artist does not stop.

"You've done nothin' but give us trouble! Get outta here, go bother some other God!"

 _Issun, enough!_ With a growl, Amaterasu succeeds in getting Issun to be quiet, and Waka discreetly reaches up to push that one curl of hair back under his headdress when the Poncle focuses his attention to the white wolf. He stands up and grabs his sword.

"I sincerely hope that you can board the Ark of Yamato with us, small one," he says, and Issun bites back the words he is about to spit out. "Your attitude towards life is terribly skewed to the negatives."

Waka leaves, without Pillow Talk's melody to follow him.

Amaterasu watches him go, whining softly. Issun looks more than proud of himself, puffing out his little chest as he stands in front of the wolf. _That was more than uncalled for, Poncle._

Issun jumps at the tone of her voice, not used to hearing it be as hard and ground. She also called him _Poncle_ ; and she has never done that before. He turns to look at her meekly. She is glaring at him now, looking as regal as the arts depict her as being. "He don't belong here," Issun reasons, pouting.

 _He was doing no harm. We have been meeting like this for some time._

"You've been meeting that guy at night?!" Issun hops up and down in anger. "Spillin' our plans, probably!"

 _There are no secrets between Ushiwaka and I,_ Amaterasu explains, and Issun is stunned momentarily at the use of Waka's full name. He had not even imagined that his name was longer than it was when he introduced himself weeks ago. For Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun and Mother to them all, to call Waka by his full name, can only mean that she has incredibly high respect for him. _I tell him everything and he does the same._

Issun picks at the scabbard of his sword. "What's that guy's deal, anyways? Who is he, exactly?"

Amaterasu sighs, lowering her head to her paws and closing her eyes. _I cannot tell you. It is not my place._

She falls asleep to Issun asking more, pointless questions that she would never answer.

* * *

Amaterasu can still remember how tightly Waka had hugged her once they had returned to the Celestial Plain. She remembers how hard he was shaking, so overcome with emotion about being able to call the Plain his home and so relieved that she had returned back to her humanoid form. She definitely remembers his searing kiss, finally able to express his love and devotion to her past the few kisses he had pressed against her snout as a wolf. And of course she adored the kisses as much as he had.

The Plains are barren, in desperate need of help after the Ark of Yamato fell to demons and True Orochi's attack. The Brush Gods that walk across the grass are doing their best to bring it back to its former glory. She wishes she can do more to help, but they have begged her to rest. She just defeated Yami and saved all of Nippon, Kamui, and the Heavens, so the last thing she needs to do is stress herself more. The Brush in her kimono sleeve has only been used to pull the sun up from it's slumber every morning and do menial tasks around her home.

Waka approaches her tonight, like he has every night since they arrived on the Ark together. He has forgone that bright pink kimono and the tall geta, as well as his headdress, for a more traditional and relaxing soft pink yukata. His hair, ever long and still growing, is tied into a high ponytail that just barely reaches his hips. He leaves Pillow Talk and his sword in the shrine they share, because the world is at peace and he does not need it everywhere he goes.

"Good evening, my dear," he greets, as he always does. She asked about it once. He said it was so that he did not startle her.

(She does not think that he is even capable of startling her.)

Waka sits next to her on the bench she has managed to fix back from pieces with the help of Yomigami. Yumigami has blessed them with a full moon tonight, so Waka reaches up to brush a stray white hair from Amaterasu's face, smiling softly when the moonlight bounces off in little sparkles. Like a galaxy covered in the brightest stars. She is ethereal. So he tells her. "The moon makes you look stunning, my love."

Amaterasu grins, a canine popping out, the only aspect of her time as a wolf that remains with her, buried deep within her soul. "The moon, the moon, the moon came out!" she recites.

Waka rolls his eyes, leaning down slightly to plant a wet kiss to her cheek, making an obnoxious sucking sound that he knows she hates. Amaterasu huffs and pushes him away, but he refuses to relent and wraps his arms around her, and falls back against the hard wooden arm of the bench, wincing at the throbbing pain that shoots up his spine. He presses his mouth against the side of Amaterasu's head, and she arches her head to him, bringing his head down for a kiss.

She stands and takes his hand, pulling him back to the house. They have exchanged little words, and Waka follows her as he always has before.

Yumigami's moon remains in the sky for far longer tonight.

* * *

"Ushiwaka," Amaterasu calls, running into Waka's room, her long white sleeves almost getting caught in the sliding door when it closes behind her. Waka looks up from a scroll he is reading, alarmed at how quickly the Sun Goddess is rushing into his room. "Do you know anyone named Kurow?"

Waka raises an eyebrow. "No. I have never met anyone with that name in my travels." He glances at the object in his beloved's hand. "Why do you have an Origin Mirror? Rather, how did you get one?"

Amaterasu averts his eyes at his second question. She flips the mirror around to show him its image: a small wolf running across a field with a blond boy sitting atop its back. Blond hair is unique to the Moon Tribe, and Waka sits up straight in surprise and takes the mirror into his own hands. "What is this…?"

"Do you know him?"

"No. You said that I and Kaguya were the only two to survive the cataclysm. Why does he look so much at me?" His eyes widen and he sets the mirror down on his desk, standing up and placing his hands on Amaterasu's shoulders. "My love, you know I keep no secrets. I do not have a single idea as to who this boy is, nor do I have any connection to him."

Amaterasu tilts her head to the side in confusion. "Were you thinking that I thought you went behind my back and had an illegitimate child with another person?"

Waka deflates, bowing his head. "You mean you did not think that?"

Amaterasu smiles, lifting his head to look her in the eye. "Ushiwaka, my star, you took to my son with such ease that I know it is completely impossible for you to be able to have any other woman besides myself. Chibiterasu is grateful to call you his father, even if it is not by pure blood."

The blond smiles, kissing his Goddess on the mouth before looking back at the mirror. "Is that our little bouncing friend?" He points at the small green sprite jumping on Chibiterasu's head.

"It is. He accepted his fate as a Celestial Envoy." Amaterasu wraps her arms around Waka's neck and sits on the arm of his chair, leaning against him. "He is going around the land and spreading the word of the Gods to the people."

"Finally. He desperately wants a spot on the Plain, does he not?"

"I am just glad that he is guiding my son in his journey. When I heard that evil had returned to Nippon, I was ready to head down there and dispell it but the other Brush Gods did not think that was a very good idea. I had already done enough for Nippon, it was time to pass on the Brush."

"A shame a few of the Brush Gods perished after you defeated Yami."

Amaterasu takes her Celestial Brush from out her sleeve, running her fingers over the bristles. "That imbalance of light and dark is probably what birthed this evil. I can only pray that Chibiterasu will be safe. And that this Kurow does not cause him any ill will."

* * *

When Chibiterasu returns to the Celestial Plain with Issun, he is visibly distraught. Waka is the first of his parents to greet him, and he opens his arms to the young God. Chibiterasu buries his face in Waka's robes, shaking in tears, and Waka is reminded that this child is exactly that, a _child,_ and he has been through what Amaterasu had gone through when she was fully matured and ready for an adventure as grand as hers. He holds the boy close, letting him cry it out. "He fulfilled his purpose, Chibiterasu."

"I know," Chibiterasu stutters. "But he was such a good friend."

"Kiddo, ya had so many great friends, not just 'im," Issun says. He looks at Waka, frowning slightly. "Hey, prophet, long time no see."

"For you, little artist." Waka grins. "Amaterasu has been watching Chibiterasu's adventure since the beginning. And that includes you."

Issun looks momentarily shocked.

"Do not fret, Envoy, she will be more than excited to see you."

The three of them cross the Plains to the large shrine, Chibiterasu chiming in to answer any questions that Waka gives him about his time in Nippon. He is holding very tightly to Waka's hand, as if he is afraid the tall man might leave his side. Chibiterasu is incredibly proud to have helped people settle into new homes in Yakushi Village, saying that they told him countless times that he is welcome whenever he needs a place to stay. "I would like to return there and see how they are doing," he says wistfully.

"And your friends? What of that mermaid or that miko child?" Waka asks, and Chibiterasu looks down. "My son, even if they knew of Kurow's demise, they would not blame you. No one blames you." He wraps a comforting arm around the boy. "And you should not blame yourself."

"Did you know him, Waka?" Chibiterasu asks, and the blond man frowns.

"I did not." Chibiterasu brightens considerably when he spots his mother standing next to the entrance to the shrine, and lets go of Waka's hand to run to Amaterasu, who welcomes him with open arms. When she sees Issun, she smiles wide, cupping her hands and bringing the Poncle up to kiss his head. Waka watches on fondly, looking up at the clear sky. "Oh, it looks like summer is about to begin anew."

Amaterasu calls for him, and for the first time, he does not think about his people of the Moon. He simply thinks about his beautiful Goddess and his wonderful son, finally together in a summer of peace.

* * *

 _author's notes:_

 _ahhh ive been playing through okami hd on switch and got feelings so i wrote this in two days_

 _i love waka hes my favorite_


End file.
